While watching a recent episode of America's Test Kitchen I frantically tried to jot down the recipe for "steak with spicy chipotle rub", or something like that. I was supposed to use an inch-thick piece of sirloin but since I had a round steak about half that thick I figured it was worth a shot, so I scored the sides and gave it a light salting.

The next step was to mix together some tomato paste, soy sauce, garlic powder, and onion powder and smear it on the beef.

Then a spice rub went on top of the paste. The only dried chiles I could find in the store were japones, which are Japanese and similar to chiles de arbol, so I added a little ancho chile powder to the peppers and spices before toasting. In hindsight it would've been better to add the powder toward the end of the toasting process, but I wound up with a mixture that smelled strongly of cumin and had coffee-like notes. Since I don't have a mortar and pestle (molcajete) I put everything in a plastic bag and beat the bejesus out of it with a hammer.

I tried to sear the steak on both sides enough to set the spices but not overcook the meat, and it actually turned out OK. I think the japones chiles added more heat than the original recipe called for as my lips and tongue were tingling pretty good, but overall it wasn't too bad. The cumin flavor was pretty strong so if I was to make it again I might use a little less than what's called far.

The only problem was that I wound up with a lot of leftover meat because I was cooking for one...

...so the next night I used some of it for tacos. I took 4 tortillas and topped them with steak, shredded Colby cheese, and some green taco sauce before folding them over and putting them over an indirect fire. I used a grill weight to keep everything together and get some decent grill marks.

I was really happy with how the tacos/quesadillas turned out. I buttered the tortillas and I think that helped them brown a little bit, and the indirect heat allowed everything to get throughly warm without burning. The iron grate added some nice marks and the cheese did a nice job of offsetting the heat of the steak.

Thanks! I think the 2 most important things I did with the quesadillas butter the outsides of the tortillas and grill them indirect, which kept them from scorching before the filling was warm.

Wis-Mex? I think the first step would be to replace chorizo with bratwurst!

You definitely have the right idea ... All that fresh cheese & dairy, veggies, a lot of specialty meats and sausages, salmon and trout have to be starting to run out of the Lake not to mention all of the inland water, hunting season about to get into full gear. Wisconsin and most of it's population can be totally self sufficient! Big article about Dane County Farmer's Market in this past Sunday's Chicago Tribune. Runs Saturdays from 06:00 A.M. to 2:00 P.M. Going to plan on a non-football Saturday and get up there before it closes on November 9.

Big article about Dane County Farmer's Market in this past Sunday's Chicago Tribune. Runs Saturdays from 06:00 A.M. to 2:00 P.M. Going to plan on a non-football Saturday and get up there before it closes on November 9.

Be sure you bring a cooler. There's usually a decent selection of meats and you should be able to find plenty of grilling material!

While watching a recent episode of America's Test Kitchen I frantically tried to jot down the recipe for "steak with spicy chipotle rub", or something like that. I was supposed to use an inch-thick piece of sirloin but since I had a round steak about half that thick I figured it was worth a shot, so I scored the sides and gave it a light salting.

The next step was to mix together some tomato paste, soy sauce, garlic powder, and onion powder and smear it on the beef.

Then a spice rub went on top of the paste. The only dried chiles I could find in the store were japones, which are Japanese and similar to chiles de arbol, so I added a little ancho chile powder to the peppers and spices before toasting. In hindsight it would've been better to add the powder toward the end of the toasting process, but I wound up with a mixture that smelled strongly of cumin and had coffee-like notes. Since I don't have a mortar and pestle (molcajete) I put everything in a plastic bag and beat the bejesus out of it with a hammer.

I tried to sear the steak on both sides enough to set the spices but not overcook the meat, and it actually turned out OK. I think the japones chiles added more heat than the original recipe called for as my lips and tongue were tingling pretty good, but overall it wasn't too bad. The cumin flavor was pretty strong so if I was to make it again I might use a little less than what's called far.

The only problem was that I wound up with a lot of leftover meat because I was cooking for one...

...so the next night I used some of it for tacos. I took 4 tortillas and topped them with steak, shredded Colby cheese, and some green taco sauce before folding them over and putting them over an indirect fire. I used a grill weight to keep everything together and get some decent grill marks.

I was really happy with how the tacos/quesadillas turned out. I buttered the tortillas and I think that helped them brown a little bit, and the indirect heat allowed everything to get throughly warm without burning. The iron grate added some nice marks and the cheese did a nice job of offsetting the heat of the steak.

Guess I've had an unasked question since I first read this. Doesn't America's Test Kitchen have a web site that you could have went to to get the recipe instead of trying to write it down?

Big article about Dane County Farmer's Market in this past Sunday's Chicago Tribune. Runs Saturdays from 06:00 A.M. to 2:00 P.M. Going to plan on a non-football Saturday and get up there before it closes on November 9.

Be sure you bring a cooler. There's usually a decent selection of meats and you should be able to find plenty of grilling material!

Do you ever make it up there? May have to give you a heads up and let you know what weekend we go.Met up with one of my wife's company's suppliers from Janesville on Saturday. She came down to the IKEA in Schaumburg. I let them hack around IKEA and I went to Cabela's in Hoffman Estates - really disappointing - nothing like the one in Hammond, IN or the Bass Pro's around the area. Did rehook up with them for a late lunch. She wants to know when we go to Madison.

Guess I've had an unasked question since I first read this. Doesn't America's Test Kitchen have a web site that you could have went to to get the recipe instead of trying to write it down?

Yes, but only the recipes from the current season are listed and site users have to register. The actual recipe is here but I didn't feel like registering, free or not.

Cactus1 wrote:

ScreamingChicken wrote:

Cactus1 wrote:

Big article about Dane County Farmer's Market in this past Sunday's Chicago Tribune. Runs Saturdays from 06:00 A.M. to 2:00 P.M. Going to plan on a non-football Saturday and get up there before it closes on November 9.

Be sure you bring a cooler. There's usually a decent selection of meats and you should be able to find plenty of grilling material!

Do you ever make it up there? May have to give you a heads up and let you know what weekend we go.

Very rarely. When Mrs. Chicken goes I tell her what to be on the lookout for and then I work with whatever she brings home.

The trick is to get there early - between 6:30 and 7:00am - for the best selection and less crowding. As the morning goes on the Square can get really congested.

I'm looking forward to going up. Just seems it needs to be closer to Halloween. Used to enjoy going to the farmers market in Kitchener Ontario in the cool crisp October air but that's been years ago.

Well, I'm in the Edmonton, Alberta area, and there are about 4 markets that go right through mid-October. I'm a vendor in one of them (St. Albert) and I recall setting up the booth with the temperature just above freezing a few times.

But the experience is still the same and as a bonus, some of the veggie vendors sell brussels sprouts around that time. The cool thing is that they sell the whole plant with the sprouts attached, so around this time of year I see dozens of people walking about with 3-4 foot long shrubs covered in sprouts.

Unlike propane, you'll never wake up scorched and naked in another county because you mishandled a bag of briquettes.

I'm looking forward to going up. Just seems it needs to be closer to Halloween. Used to enjoy going to the farmers market in Kitchener Ontario in the cool crisp October air but that's been years ago.

Well, I'm in the Edmonton, Alberta area, and there are about 4 markets that go right through mid-October. I'm a vendor in one of them (St. Albert) and I recall setting up the booth with the temperature just above freezing a few times.

But the experience is still the same and as a bonus, some of the veggie vendors sell brussels sprouts around that time. The cool thing is that they sell the whole plant with the sprouts attached, so around this time of year I see dozens of people walking about with 3-4 foot long shrubs covered in sprouts.

Great way to buy brussel sprouts!Nothing like walking into the Kitchener Market at first light with a little frost in the air and getting that first peameal bacon and egg sandwich with a little hot mulled cider to wash it down. Then stocking up on the produce, fresh eggs, cheeses, meats and suasages, and bakery products. One or two more peameal bacon and egg sandwiches along the way didn't hurt.Hoping to find that same type of experience in Madison.

I'm looking forward to going up. Just seems it needs to be closer to Halloween. Used to enjoy going to the farmers market in Kitchener Ontario in the cool crisp October air but that's been years ago.

Well, I'm in the Edmonton, Alberta area, and there are about 4 markets that go right through mid-October. I'm a vendor in one of them (St. Albert) and I recall setting up the booth with the temperature just above freezing a few times.

But the experience is still the same and as a bonus, some of the veggie vendors sell brussels sprouts around that time. The cool thing is that they sell the whole plant with the sprouts attached, so around this time of year I see dozens of people walking about with 3-4 foot long shrubs covered in sprouts.

Great way to buy brussel sprouts!Nothing like walking into the Kitchener Market at first light with a little frost in the air and getting that first peameal bacon and egg sandwich with a little hot mulled cider to wash it down. Then stocking up on the produce, fresh eggs, cheeses, meats and suasages, and bakery products. One or two more peameal bacon and egg sandwiches along the way didn't hurt.Hoping to find that same type of experience in Madison.

Oh man - peameal bacon and egg sandwiches never do hurt! Neither do fresh hot Jamaican beef patties. Just a few more reasons why I love markets like that.

Unlike propane, you'll never wake up scorched and naked in another county because you mishandled a bag of briquettes.